Reflections on My Time at the XXVI General Chapter
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October 10, 2022As I sit here at my desk at St. Teresa’s in St. John’s, NL, I am recalling some of my experiences last week at the XXVI General Chapter, held at Il Carmelo on the outskirts of Rome. It’s a long way from St. John’s to Rome, and a long way from my lovely, wee office to the halls of the General Chapter, but at the moment it all seems very present, and so I’d like to share with you some of my recollections and impressions.Ninety one capitulars, 5 Partners in Mission, and many interpreters, office assistants and others - so many people, and yet, as we gathered, I was really struck and moved by how many of them I knew, either from previous in-persona encounters or from the multitude of Zoom meetings held over the past few years.
This realization had two dimensions for me. First, there was a very powerful sense of being in a gathering of people united by and in a common spirit - I felt that I was with “family.” Secondly, my experiences over the past six years of occupying the Office of Partnership in Mission for the Redemptorist Family, and of serving as Chair of the General Commission for Partnership in Mission, has given me the wonderful gift of coming to know and work with confreres and partners in mission from all Conferences and many units. Seeing so many of them and spending a week together, in person, was a gift and a joy after so many months of Zoom!
It was profoundly moving to experience the energy and the gratitude of Redemptorists and Partners in Mission in all the five Conferences who have been impacted by the work and the presence of the General Commission for PIM and the Office of PIM over the past five years. I never doubt the importance of what I do, but it is nevertheless very moving to experience people sharing so deeply about its impact.
The experience of welcome and of inclusion in all the activities of the General Chapter was touching, humbling, energizing and enriching. The five lay participants - Bohus Zivcak (Europe), Judith Agu (Africa and Madagascar), Roksan Latorre (Asia-Oceania), Vanda Carvanho Leima (Latin America and the Caribbean) and I - were invited to be fully part of the plenary sessions, the small group discussions, the prayer times and the social events. During the week, the theme of engagement was “Redemptorist Identity,” and I found the discussions and the sharing to be insightful, challenging and very hope-filled. Much of the processing of the topics was accomplished in small groups, with feedback then being brought to the plenary sessions and being fleshed out, amplified and enriched there.
On Wednesday morning, at the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we remembered the confreres and partners in mission who died from Covid-19. It was beautiful and very moving to see the many names surrounding an image of the Redeemer. At that morning Mass, the partners in mission were also a focus, and we stood in the sanctuary with the presider, Fr Michael Brehl, CSsR, and our provincial superiors.
I had a deep sense of being part of something greater than the here and now- standing there not only with members of our Redemptorist Family from all over the world, but also in the presence of those who have gone before us, names framing that image of the Redeemer in our midst!
On Thursday night, all the participants were treated to a Brazilian barbecue, a churrasco. Meat as cooked and served by the Brazilian capitulars, and the rest of us had only to enjoy it, and take advantage of the great atmosphere to relax and get to know each other better.
On Friday, the five lay participants, acting as a panel, were asked to share our experience of the General Chapter and then participate in an open Q&A. It was a very open and frank sharing, from many people. The commitment of the Congregation to partnership in and for mission was palpably felt and verbally articulated. I found it affirming, and challenging. Fr. Michael Brehl’s words of appreciation on behalf of the capitulars were particularly heartfelt, and touched the five of us deeply.
I left Rome with renewed hope and commitment to our mission of proclaiming, of embodying, plentiful redemption in the midst of a world that desperately needs that proclamation.
